leaves you out in the cold because there is a bundle of connecting cables that needs to be concealed. Regular frame construction walls sure seem superior here as they have the depth space needed without the possibility of getting way too hot also. No doubt the stacked stone fireplace is a gorgeous design feature, but the TV may have to find another home.

All of the design shows on TV and all of the magazine articles that highlight the current design trends must have all been led by an idiot. Sure it looks bitchin' to hang a TV over a fireplace, but it's got to be one of the worst environments for it. Plus, the majority of these installations place the TV well above the line-of-sight viewing when you sit in a chair. This trend is being controlled by idots who know nothing about audio/video and home theater installations.

To sling the term idiot when you obviously don't know what you're talking about shows you have a lot to learn. That design comes from people owning small homes and no place for a large screen display,or even a standard one for that matter. If you only have a livingroom and one wall such as I do, the only place for a Tv is on the wall. When I bought my home I had a rather small wall unit with a 32" crt in it. The only place for that was diagonally in front of a window and sliding door which took up about 25 square feet of space. Putting a flat panel on the wall above the fireplace,which happens to be the only wall in my livingroom opened up the house. I have no overheating problems with it there. That's what dampeners are for,to control heat.No,it's not the best viewing angle but the only place for a primary display in my humble home. Center screen is five and a half feet high. When seated my eyes are roughly three feet high. I sit at about eleven feet from it. So based on viewing angles and distances for viewing such displays I am well within reason and guidelines given on viewing them. You haven't been sold anything on Tv's and fireplaces,only those that have no option to do so have.Now as far as mister stacked stone wall guy. Depending if its a prebuilt fireplace,the flue doesn't take up the whole chimney space.Your chimney is most likely a big box and your flue only 8". That gives plenty of space from anything hot inside the wall,besides the flue is insulated as well. If its a real fireplace and built solid,sad to say you're SOL. To make it look custom I would make a template of the display and remove the stonework it would be over so it set in the stone. This would entail cutting some,but damn it would look nice. If not up to that, just remove a square of them that would be hidden once the panel was hung on the wall. This will also give you work space to stick your arm in the wall to push cable and wiring. But then again if the stonework is on the entire wall,it can be done but a little more work is involved. Suck it up and go for it. It does look bitchin'. And in almost a 3/4 of a million dollar home,people expect it.

His reaction was from real frustration. Although wall mounted TVs may seem neat, I too think that is an overblown gimmick. TV show interior designers are overdoing the wall mount thing. Perhaps I am a stick in the mud & will be among those embracing wall mount as the norm in the future. Time will tell.

The wall mounting is getting a big boost this year as news from CES is the push for HDTVs to go wireless. Leader among three competing technologies is called Wireless HD. This time around, Sony & Toshiba are playing on the same team. Heavyweight support for this is being added by Intel announcing it is joining the group. Well, what can I say? It only makes wall mount an easier step forward.

Yes, I'm frustrated...but only at many of the design shows on TV that blindly place TVs over fireplaces just for "show". They never consider what to do with the wiring and where the HT components go. The TV seems to be placed on the fireplace as an after-thought.

Dino, I know there are rooms where the only wall large enough to place a TV is the fireplace wall, but placing TVs in this spot seem to be done now more for "show" than "go".

Back to the original question: As one other poster mentioned, there are slag bolts made for stone or concrete walls. These can be used to mount an LCD TV mount bracket onto any wall. All that is needed is the correct drill bit that can drill a hole into concrete or stone. I've got several of these. The big question is what to do with the wires? If the fireplace has a mantle, this can be removed and a channel can be routed into the backside of the mantle to allow running the wires along the backside. At some point, the wires must exit and go into a component rack or into a cable/satellite box that that can be well hidden. If the TV is removed, you end up with four holes in the stone, but hey, the TV comes first.

Every bodies needs and wants are different. Wants aren't necessary,needs are. You(meaning anyone)may "want" your Tv on the wall, but it doesn't make it wrong. In fact,that was part of the inginuity of the flat panel,because of small living spaces. Just like the flat panel computer screens,to make more desk space. 90% of everything people do is for show and not go. Namebrand clothes, chrome rims on cars and so on. Hell,i'll one farther, HDTV. Is it really a necessity? Don't answer,it's a hypothetical question.If people are going to go through with placing an expensive piece on the wall, a good majority of them are going to do it right and the best way possible. Four holes in stone is an easy fix. When you sell your home or move to another location you have to patch holes in walls from pictures or paintings anyway. No big deal. Or in case like my home,chances are the next owner will want their Tv in the same place as mine seeing it's the "only place"(necessity) for one. Besides when it comes time to sell,i'll include the Plasma and all the inwall speakers with the home. By then maybe all of Tv will be in HD and then i'll upgrade from my EDTV to HD.I'm like Bill. There are DVDs I "want". I can go down to the store and buy new for $15 or more, but why? It's not "necessary",there are plenty of outlets on the web to buy used which are just as good. In fact better,because it was cheaper. It all comes down to individual wants and needs, neither is wrong unless you can't afford it. It's sort of like the LCD vs. Plasma debate. I don't call the LCD people names because I like Plasma and feal it's better. It's ultimately what pleases them,even if it is lousier display. Just kidding folks..

Yep, your reply says it all. Plasma TV above a fireplace. Thats OK if you don't want to use the fireplace eh?. That situation may suit your particular taste, to each their own eh?. It would be interesting to find out if there is any connection with Plasmas and houses burning down.

I don't know squat about hanging the TV, I wonder why you have bought the TV that can't fit into your home, what's wrong with the 32"? I find it interesting now that flat screens are "in", everyone has to have one. Good luck with the problem though. I would have saved for a bigger place to live.

trust me on this...hire a pro( like me). the stone is not a structural element and was never intended to hold a 150# plasma! also, unless you have coring bits, big hammer drills, fish sticks, fish tapes, experience of doing this, setting remote codes, image settings, sound fields, what about the 120 volt ac? you gonna pull an extension cord thru the fireplace? conscider we usually only charge about 500 or so and all this comes with a million dollar ins policy if anything happens (like dropping the dab burn thing) and you dont get dirty, either. best buy guys are usually the best around- we have to fight for our jobs-and the service is guaranteed. if you have to do it yourself... tie allthread rods into the wood studs behind the rock, suspend the bracket from them using atleast three angle adjustments and minimum 5 bolts(3/8).good luck.

The stone could be either a veneer or structural. Hanging something heavy in stone or mortar with a masonry attachment like the name brand "red head" is not really a problem. All the wiring is a whole other issue, and if it is a framed fireplace with a veneer you may be able to get behind there, and would also change the way you attach the tv.

i used tapcon brand wall anchor 'screws' to mount my 50 inch over my brick fireplace. before i put the plasma up, my 250 pound dad grabbed the mount and started to pull himself up with it. that about gave me a heart attack. that was about a year and a half ago. so far so good, though i always tell my wife not to let the dog lay under the plasma!

That 32" died,so it was time for a new Tv(back to necessity). So. As the story goes,instead of getting another CRT 32" a cubic yard of a television. Having cash in hand I opted to get a flat panel and eliminate a medium size wall unit. The $1900 I spent wouldn't have bought me a bigger house that I bought two years proir. It is a modest home of 1270 square feet,three bedroom two bath,in a gated community and 1/4 mile on a bike path to the beach(a want),less I degress. The lay out is what makes it hard for placing a moderate television to watch. Coupled with the fact it would be out moded in the near future with the elimination of analog technology(necessity).Now, I mounted mine over drywall and right to the studs over my fireplace. Which is nothing more than a big box housing an 8" flue. I even went the extra mile to tie in the front studs to the rear ones because of the extra weight and keep them from bowing out over time. I did it **** up. Any pro would approve my work.

well,i'm one of the luckyones. our fireplace is in a corner and already had a ledge on top of it. so, it was a no brainer to put this 56" beauty up there. but, you do have to angle it. we wanted to store the components below, so we added an addtional shelf. i happend to have some 1" heavy plexiglass left over so, i made a retrofitted raised platform for the tv and the tilting was done from the rear which simply lifted the back-end up. the front had a small lip to accomodate the tv from slipping forward and there was a 1/16" steel cable from the tv to the back corner of the fireplace. the plexiglass was buffed out with jewelers rouge and the components (including Wii) fit like a glove beneath. it was a perfect fit since the corner fireplace was the centerpiece for the whole living room and the tv is set back enough for when the fireplace is used - none of the tv gets warm from the fire. like i said, i'm one of the lucky ones. if i had a stone fireplace, this wouldn't have been as easy. but, for the effect, i think it's worth it,but unless you've done a ton of construction, consult a contractor. possibly one that specializes in home theater.

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